126 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



it has become very aggressive. It is estiem'ely inqiiisi- 

 iive, and its cariosity appeared to be firslt aroused by 

 the metaliic spote on the wings of the Tympanistrias ; 

 these it a.ttaicked, plucking out the colo'ua'ed fealtheu's, 

 and, en finding out that no resisitance was made, pro- 

 ceeded to oomipIeiteJy strip tlie backs oi its victims, and 

 to attack the Ha.plopel:as. It has thus from time to 

 time killeid a good many, of the Doves, aptparenltly out 

 of sheer exuibeiiance of spiiits, for it never atitempts to 

 eat either the feiathers or tJie birds themselves. Juist 

 aiter sunset it becomes particularly lively aaid aggreis- 

 s ve, taking long hcips from percii to perch, cran'ing. 

 and giving a peck here and a peck there to each of tlie 

 Doves, already sleepy and seittling down for the nighit, 

 as it passes ; then it returns, never assailing any indi- 

 vidual persii^ently, but finally so-meitimes felling one 

 by dint of reipealted attacks, for they merely sit stll 

 and cower. When one falls tO' the ground the Touraoo 

 descends, gives it the coup-de-grdce, in the form of 

 two or three shai-p blows on the back of the head, and 

 then resumes iits sport. It never attacks the Rolled-, 

 the Parrot, oir the Biulbuls, having found prolbalbly that 

 these biirds resent its first attempts in that dircotion. 

 It feeds readily from the hand, and, aflbea- a meal, retires 

 to some higher branch, and there sits, puflFed out and 

 lethargic, w-ith its head well down between its shoulders. 

 maJcing a continual slij;ht rasping noise, comparalble 

 perhaps to snoring, for half an hour or more; when in 

 this condition ii. greatly enjoys having its breasit 

 .stiioked. Not infrequently it will eat a few small grass- 

 hoppers, but it is clumsy with regard to the larger 

 loousits, going ahout and bruising them on the branches 

 someiwbalt afteir the manner of an insectivorous bird, 

 but usually lettkig them drop, after a few seconds. 

 When annoyed, or hungry and excited by the sight o^f 

 food, it will utter a loud, quick ' id-!:a-l-d-l-a-l-d / ' a 

 note common to both Touracos. and frequently heard 

 in the forest. It is exceedingly tame, but when outside 

 the avia.ry will not come to the hand so reaidily as would 

 my T. livingstonii, seeming to take an impudent de- 

 light in teasing its pursuer. Iits running powers are re- 

 marfcalble. Being at large on one occaision when I had 

 to leave home for a few diays, it had to be captiured. 

 and when, after a long ohase amongst the gum trees, 

 it took to the ground — ^cultivated, but bare — ^it ran. 

 apparently not thinking of flight, for a distance of 

 more than two hundred yaixis before I myself and 

 seven Kafir.', close on its heels from the start, conld 

 .secure it ; it was then considerahly exhausted. This 

 Tonraco may frequently be seen running along the 

 horizontal branches of large trees, but its speed on this 

 occasion, and the distance covered, were a revelation 

 to me. The natives believe that, .should a Touraco fly 

 aci'oss the road and call, ib indicates tiliiat they will 

 find a buck or a beer-drink cm ahead ; its crimson wing- 

 qiijlls are greatly prized by them, and in former times 

 used to be reserved for the king." 



Although, strangely enouigh, this species is omitted 

 from the " List of animals now or lately living in the 

 (Ja.rden? of the Zoological Society of London." we read 

 in the Proceedings of that Soci'ety for 1879. p. 218 : 

 " A Purple-crested Touracou (Corythaix porp7tyre.o- 

 lopha), prasenlted by the Rev. J. A. Goidd, F.Z.S., 

 Felbruary 4th. 



" On his return from Natal, Mr. Gould was kind 

 en.oiugh to bring us the first example of this beautiful 

 Touracou which has been received alive by the Society. 

 The bird was olbtained from a person on board the 

 Zanzibar mail steamer, and is doubtless from Mozam- 

 bique or from some part of the East Airican coast." 

 The species has also been represented in the Amster- 

 dam Gardens. 



Green-necked TorEACOu [Gallirex chloroMamys). 



Differs from the preceding species in the uniform 

 colouring of the grass-green portions of tho jpJumage, 

 which show no trace of pink i^iading ; it is also a trrfle 

 smaller. Ha)b., Eastern Africa north of the Zambesi 

 and extending to Abyssinia. 



According to Mi'. F. J. Jackson (The. Ibis, 1892, 

 p. 313), the bill and feet black and the eyelids coral- 

 red, so that in its soft parts this form does not appear 

 to differ fix>m the southern race. 



According to Fischer, "at ilaurui at the Piangami it 

 inhalbf.ts the densest portions of the forest on the banks 

 in flights of from four to twelve individuals ; they ex- 

 liibited a very lively, restless demeanom-, hopping from 

 twig to twig and oliasing one anolher without inter- 

 mission in the tops of the trees, sometimes depressing, 

 sometimes erecting their crests, and uttering a short 

 growling note which sounded like 'korro.'" 



According to Dr. Bahm, "this species keeps chiefly 

 to the thicket of trees smcfhered with luxuriant para- 

 sitic olimlbers, but beitrays itself here by its loud voice, 

 which may be rendered by the deep and rapidly-jerked- 

 out syllaSoles, ku-kulluck, ku-kuUuck, ku, ku, ku, ku. 

 lit stays nciwhere long, flutters much more up and down, 

 flips actively with its tail, shakes itself, erecta and 

 dj-oops the feathers on its head. The flight is rapid, 

 easy, and gliding. The birds are shy, and as soon as 

 they thiink they are being followed, endeavour to glide 

 away into the nearest thicket as easily and imper- 

 ceptibly as possible." (cf. Russ " Die Fremdliindischen 

 Stubenvogel, Vol. II., p. 674). 



In 1889 a specimen of this bird was presenteid to the 

 London Zoological Gardens by Miss Dolly Kirk ; three 

 years later a second, from British East Africa, was 

 presented, and in 1894 two more from British Central 

 Africa. In 1895 the Berlin G'ardems secured an example, 

 and Mr. Meiisel observed that when the bird washed 

 the wiimg^feaithers lost their coloiurimg and the water 

 became greenislh. 



Vi0L.\CE0us ToTrR.\cou (Musophaga riolacea). 



General colour glossy violaceous blue, duller and 

 darker on lower back, abdomen, thighs, under tail and 

 wing coverts; flights coloirred crimson and hlaok, much 

 as in Tvracus ; crown and nape crimson, the feathers 

 short and .somewhat h;m'-like; orbital patch extending 

 to bill scai'let; beneath the posterior half of the latter 

 a white band extends imder the ear-coverts ; lower 

 throat and fore-chest glossed with green; bill orange- 

 red (or chrome-yellow), fading to yellow on anterior 

 half of upper m;uidible ; feet black; ii-ides brown. 

 Female not differentiated. Hab., West Africa from the 

 Cameroons to Senegambia. 



Ussher met with this species in .'mall companies, but 

 Reichenow soys that in the marshy lands of the Cameroon 

 river he only observed it singly or in pairs. " They 

 affected low, dense scrub on the borders of the forest 

 rather than high trees. They keep liidden away, and 

 I have never heai-d a sound from them. They merit 

 the name of PLsang or Banana-eater as little as the 

 other members of the family, indeed not one of them 

 feeds upon fruits of that kind." (cf. Russ, "Die 

 Fi'emdlanischen Stubenvonel," Vol. II., p. 669.) 



Oapt. B. Alexander {The Ihis, 1902, p. 362) says: 

 " This species haunts the vicinity of sJtreanis and is 

 generally observed in pairs. The" male in the nesting 

 season, which is in April, utters a turkey -like gobble." 



Fii-et exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens in 

 1863, since which time many examples have found a 

 home there, the last recorded in the ninth edition of 



